Mr. Speaker, I will take the minister's request under advisement. I will speak with the leadership and the people of Kashechewan and I will take my direction from them because they were at the meeting with the minister. I will come back tomorrow and say what I should respond. If it is necessary for me to make a personal apology, I will be more than willing, but I will be asking the chief and council of Kashechewan what they felt from their meeting first.

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 2005-06 annual report issued pursuant to section 25.3 of the Criminal Code.

This report covers the RCMP's use of specified provisions within the law and within that law enforcement justification regime where it is set out in sections 25.1 to 25.4 of the Criminal Code. This report also documents the nature of the investigations in which these provisions were used.

As is my privilege, I would like to go on record as saying that I believe this is not the committee's best work. I believe that in hindsight many members of my committee will, on further consideration, regret the conclusions they draw within this report.

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 14th report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, entitled “Elimination of Discrimination against Women in the Employment Insurance Program”.

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 17th report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, entitled “The Funding Crisis of the Canadian Television Fund.” Pursuant to Standing Order 109, my committee requests a government response.

Mr. Speaker, I also have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 18th report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage relating to the nomination of Mr. Konrad von Finckenstein to the position of chairperson of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 108(4) I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Joint Committee on the Scrutiny of Regulations. The report has to do with the Broadcasting Act, particularly section 11 and more particularly the broadcasting licence fee regulations, 1997.

In brief, the courts have found that fees levied under the prescribed regulations in fact are excessive and constitute a tax. In its findings, the court's central concern must be to guarantee respect for constitutional principles. One such principle is that the Crown may not levy a tax except with authority of the Parliament or the legislature, Constitution Act, 1867. This principle of no taxation without representation is central to our conception of democracy and the rule of law. When the government collects and retains taxes pursuant to ultra vires legislation, it undermines the rule of law.

The committee fully agrees with that viewpoint, which reflects the fundamental nature of Parliament's authorization for the lawful collection of fees and taxes.

Mr. Speaker, there is a large problem in Canada with warrants that are issued across the country but are unenforceable because they are non-returnable warrants.

Eighteen months ago, the Vancouver police found on city streets over a three month period 726 people who had a total of 1,582 warrants against them for crimes committed elsewhere in Canada. A quarter of them faced multiple outstanding charges and 84% of them had lengthy criminal records with an average of 19 convictions per person.

My bill would address this issue by amending the Criminal Code of Canada to provide that every person who knows or believes that a warrant of arrest has been issued or will be issued to them and leaves the province of jurisdiction before or after a warrant of arrest or committal has been issued will be guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years less a day.

This is an issue that has been going on for a long time. It is of prime importance in my province of British Columbia where I suppose people travel to a kinder climate to flee these warrants. We must address the issue.

October 20, 2006--Second reading of Bill C-286, An Act to amend the Witness Protection Program Act (protection of spouses whose life is in danger) and to make a consequential amendment to another Act—Mr. Steven Blaney.

Mr. Speaker, as the members know, last spring I tabled a bill to protect spouses whose life is in danger, in particular, to protect women from their violent ex-spouses. Since then, I have had several meetings with the Minister of Public Safety and representatives of Human Resources and Social Development Canada, and last Friday, measures were initiated to take action, after years of waiting.